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Sept. 25, 2013

Marking a major milestone for the Coast Guard’s acquisition program and the Fast Response Cutter project, the Coast Guard Asset Project Office formally transferred sustainment responsibility for the Coast Guard’s Sentinel-class patrol boats to the Surface Forces Logistics Center in a ceremony at the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore, Md., Sept. 25, 2013.

Established in 2009 to ensure the service’s logistics community and facilities infrastructure can absorb new assets introduced through the service’s acquisition program, the APO bridges the gap between the acquisition and sustainment phases in the major project life cycle. When the first ships of each class are delivered to the Coast Guard, the APO assumes initial responsibility for maintenance, supply, and logistics by establishing new asset lines to demonstrate processes and procedures are in place to sustain the assets through their operational years.

Each asset line established by the APO is a huge undertaking that encompasses budgeting for shore-side improvement and support billets, configuration control for the asset class, developing depot-level maintenance specifications, establishing supply chains and logistics support plans, issuing contracts for critical services, and addressing other major management challenges.

In addition to the FRC, the APO is also developing an acquisition product line for the Offshore Patrol Cutter. For each asset plan, the APO, the SFLC, and acquisition program staff at Coast Guard headquarters jointly construct criteria that must be satisfied before sustainment responsibility can be transferred to the field maintenance and logistics systems.

The FRC is the first project to emerge from this process and be fully integrated into the Coast Guard’s support infrastructure. Six FRCs have been commissioned to date, and the seventh cutter will be commissioned later this year. With this transition, all future FRCs will enjoy mature field support systems beginning with their first day of service.

Rear Admiral Ronald J. Rábago, Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics, and Ms. Claire M. Grady, Deputy Assistant Commandant for Acquisition and Director of Acquisition Services, presided over the transition ceremony and recognized the work performed by the entire mission support enterprise by presenting a meritorious team commendation to Fast Response Cutter transition team members, including APO, SFLC, FRC Project Residence Office and headquarters acquisition staff.